Sociological Theories

Question 1

what was the most popular and oldest theory

Answer 1

structural functionalism

Question 2

what is structural functionalism

Answer 2

studies how society is organized to maintain its stability

Question 3

who was the most important person related to Structural functionalism

Answer 3

emile durkheim

Question 4

do structural functionalists look at things with the glass half full or half empty

Answer 4

half full

Question 5

_________ is the father of structural functionalism

Answer 5

emile durkheim

Question 6

what was emile durkheim most known for

Answer 6

his suicide studies

Question 7

what are the 4 reasons as to why suicide rates are the same every year

Answer 7

1. men are more likely to die by suicide
2. single people or more likely to die by suicide
3. people at peace are more likely to die by suicide than at war
4. protestants more likely than Catholics

Question 8

what is a commonality among the 4 reasons for suicide rate stability

Answer 8

lack of social cohesion
lack of collective moral regulation

Question 9

what is an anomie

Answer 9

it is the social instability that arises from a breakdown of values and rules

Question 10

true or false - Karl Marx is the father of capitalism

Answer 10

false - he believes capitalism is alienating

Question 11

what was the point of the book, THE JUNGLE

Answer 11

there is a meatpacking plant that every man in the city lines up out of to get a job for that day -> however the supervisor only takes 50 of those workers aka the healthiest ones -> the rest are not able to feed their families -> no matter how hard you work, does not mean you get to reap the benefits -> bad capitalism

Question 12

what is the importance of the bourgeoise and proliteriats

Answer 12

bourgeoise -> the supervisors/ factories
proliteriats -> male workers

Question 13

what did Karl Marx want to focus on

Answer 13

neoliberalism -> emphasize employment insurance, workers compensation and social welfare

Question 14

true or false - Karl Marx believed in more government regulation

Answer 14

true

Question 15

michel Foucault is associated with what theory

Answer 15

contemporary critical sociology

Question 16

what was the importance of the Panopticon at the women’s institution

Answer 16

find ways to get people to do things without forcing them to do it -> give them tight choices

Question 17

what are the two terms that are significant to note with Michel Foucault’t theory

Answer 17

surveillance - direct/indirect observation of actions towards producing a desired outcome
self surveillance - monitoring our own behaviors and internalizing that to prevent deviance

Question 18

What is the most common reason for marijuana usage?

Answer 18

Fantasy and escape from psychological problems

Question 19

Why is marijuana interesting case for deviance theories?

Answer 19

Illustrates deviant motives that develop in course of experience with deviant behaviour

Question 20

Why did NYC Mayor Commitee on Marijuana say it’s not addictive?

Answer 20

If addicted then they would be frustrated if they didn’t have access to the drug right away
- investigator says they fine when they couldn’t get weed

Question 21

Why does Becker conclude that psych theories are inadequate to explain marijuana use?

Answer 21

1. Predisposed trait believed to cause behavior but in everyday study many people do not adhere to susceptible prompter
2. Too much variability in behavior and rxn to drug after usage

Question 22

What is the “marijuana technique”?

Answer 22

Suck, draw it in and hold it in lungs

Question 23

What is required to “be high”?

Answer 23

Presence of physical symptoms and connection of using drug and feeling effects (conscious about what they are feeling in order to get high)

Question 24

What are the “symptoms of being high”?

Answer 24

Believe the drug will promote certain type of affect and connect that with actual symptoms they feel

Question 25

How does the re-definition of marijuana effect as “enjoyable” happen?

Answer 25

Occurs when you are in an interaction with more experienced users who teach novice to find pleasure in the experience

Question 26

What techniques participant use to help newcomers enjoy experience?

Answer 26

1. Reassurance they will be fine while expriencing negative sensation/minimize seriousness
2. Regulate amount smoked to avoid negative sensations
3. Teach that they can get to like it after a while

Question 27

Does Becker believe moral considerations will impact marijuana’s user’s continued use of drug?

Answer 27

• Morality and expediency and occasionally society can interfere and inhibit them but can still continue
• impossible to continue when the ability to enjoy being high is gone through changes in conception of drugs otherwise can enjoy weed without morality interfering

Question 28

describe the welfare state and provide the years

Answer 28

1940-1970
-> period of employment where every man had to have a job however, there was major imbalance

Question 29

how is Dorothy Smith significant

Answer 29

she helped us understand the women’s relationships and how they are in society
- absence of voice and experience

Question 30

Dorothy Smith came up with an important understanding - what is this concept

Answer 30

lived experience -> what it is to live in society as a mother, or a person with a disability or a minority, etc…

Question 31

Kimberle Crenshaw is important for what

Answer 31

came up with the foundation of intersectionality
- standpoint theory - intersectionality

Question 32

intersectionality

Answer 32

theoretical approach that examines interlocking nature of social identity that creates more complex, interdependent systems of oppression and marginalization

Question 33

describe the De Graffenried vs GM case

Answer 33

companies had to hire multiple people that were diverse -> when the economy started to drift, they had to lay people off -> first people to be laid off was the minorities or women -> GM claim involved separating the two axes into gender and race rather than what it actually was which was gender and race combined

Question 34

North America is a ____cracy

Answer 34

meritocracy

Question 35

what is a meritocracy

Answer 35

promises that if you work hard, you will make it

Question 36

which country is known to have the best social mobility

Answer 36

Canada

Question 37

who brought up the idea of Symbolic interactionism

Answer 37

Max Weber

Question 38

conflict theory

Answer 38

views society as an arena of continual struggle between groups competing for resources and power
- privileged access to resources and power
- Marx